Snapshot
Costa Rica at a glance
- Capital
- San José
- Population
- 5,160,700
- Area
- 51,180 km²
- Calling code
- +506
- Schengen
- Not in Schengen
- Tap water
- Not recommended
- Passport rank
- View mobility score and coverage
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North America · Travel essentials
Costa Rica
Explore San José, Limon and Alajuela. Check local travel essentials, save places and plan journeys between cities.
Currency CRCTime in San José 18:51UTC-06:00Country codes CR / CRI
A place to start
Three cities. Your choice.
Choose where you’re going. Find places to visit and check the weather.
Largest settlements in the available GeoNames snapshot (2026-09-06); population dates and city boundaries differ. GeoNames · CC BY 4.0.
Explore San José
What would you like to find?
Find a museum, a place to eat or an arrival airport. Save the places you want to come back to.
See straight-line distances from you. The map stays focused on your destination.
Your next stop
Directions
Driving estimates do not include live traffic. On-foot, bicycle and public transport directions open in Google Maps. A place’s map pin may not be its visitor entrance.
Place details and source links are available below the map.
Map: OpenStreetMap contributors. Country outline: Natural Earth, overview only.
Explore mapped places within 5 km of San José. Hours and access are shown only when recorded.
9 places to explore. More places may be available in the city.
National Theatre of Costa Rica
National Theatre of Costa Rica is one option for your time in San José. Open the map pin, check visitor access and decide where it fits in your day.
Plan your visit
- Listed opening hours
- Not recorded
- Wheelchair access
- Not recorded
- Entry fee
- Not recorded
Opening hours and access details may change. Confirm with the venue before travelling.
Museum of Contemporary Art and Design
Museum of Contemporary Art and Design is one option for your time in San José. Check exhibition times before setting aside a museum stop.
Plan your visit
- Listed opening hours
- Not recorded
- Wheelchair access
- Not recorded
- Entry fee
- Not recorded
Opening hours and access details may change. Confirm with the venue before travelling.
La Sabana Metropolitan Park
La Sabana Metropolitan Park is one option for your time in San José. Consider this for a break between the busier parts of your day.
Plan your visit
- Listed opening hours
- Not recorded
- Wheelchair access
- Not recorded
- Entry fee
- Not recorded
Opening hours and access details may change. Confirm with the venue before travelling.
Pre-Columbian Gold Museum
Pre-Columbian Gold Museum is one option for your time in San José. Check exhibition times before setting aside a museum stop.
Plan your visit
- Listed opening hours
- Not recorded
- Wheelchair access
- Not recorded
- Entry fee
- Not recorded
Opening hours and access details may change. Confirm with the venue before travelling.
San José Central Market
San José Central Market is one option for your time in San José. Open the map pin, check visitor access and decide where it fits in your day.
Plan your visit
- Listed opening hours
- Not recorded
- Wheelchair access
- Not recorded
- Entry fee
- Not recorded
Opening hours and access details may change. Confirm with the venue before travelling.
Metropolitan Cathedral of San José
Metropolitan Cathedral of San José is one option for your time in San José. Open the map pin, check visitor access and decide where it fits in your day.
Plan your visit
- Listed opening hours
- Not recorded
- Wheelchair access
- Not recorded
- Entry fee
- Not recorded
Opening hours and access details may change. Confirm with the venue before travelling.
Museo Nacional de Costa Rica
Museo Nacional de Costa Rica is one option for your time in San José. Check exhibition times before setting aside a museum stop.
Plan your visit
- Listed opening hours
- Not recorded
- Wheelchair access
- Not recorded
- Entry fee
- Not recorded
Opening hours and access details may change. Confirm with the venue before travelling.
Museo del Jade
Museo del Jade is one option for your time in San José. Check exhibition times before setting aside a museum stop.
Plan your visit
- Listed opening hours
- Not recorded
- Wheelchair access
- Not recorded
- Entry fee
- Not recorded
Opening hours and access details may change. Confirm with the venue before travelling.
Edificio Herdocia
Edificio Herdocia is one option for your time in San José. Open the map pin, check visitor access and decide where it fits in your day.
Plan your visit
- Listed opening hours
- Not recorded
- Wheelchair access
- Not recorded
- Entry fee
- Not recorded
Opening hours and access details may change. Confirm with the venue before travelling.
Before you step outside
Weather in San José
Temperature, rain, wind, sunrise, sunset and a seven-day outlook.
Full city weather → · Open-Meteo, Forecast updated when requested.
Think in the local currency
What is that in CRC?
Open the currency calculator →. For planning; card and cash exchange rates can differ.
Arrive with a little context
Land here. Start in San José.
SJO
An arrival option for San José
Juan Santamaría International Airport
15.1 km from the city centre · straight line
Compare scheduled-service airports near San José. Distances are measured in a straight line; your journey by road or public transport will be longer.
Flights at SJO
Live flight times are not available here yet. Check the airport’s official board before travelling.
SJO airport information ↗Compare arrival airports
| Airport | IATA | Distance to city | Plan the next step |
|---|---|---|---|
| Tobías Bolaños International Airport | SYQ | 6.5 km | Airport website ↗ |
| Juan Santamaría International Airport | SJO | 15.1 km | Airport website ↗ |
| Quepos Managua Airport | XQP | 54.8 km | Airport website ↗ |
| La Fortuna Arenal Airport | FON | 80.4 km | Airport website ↗ |
| Limón International Airport | LIO | 116.4 km | Airport website ↗ |
| Nosara Airport | NOB | 171.8 km | Airport website ↗ |
OurAirports · Public Domain. Airport transfer tool →
Runways, frequencies & all airport fields
Tobías Bolaños International Airport
San Jose · MRPV
Elevation3287 ft
Coordinates9.95705, -84.139801
Runways
10 / 28
5138 × 75 ft
ASPRadio frequencies
GND121.7 MHz
COCO RDO126.8 MHz
PAVAS TWR118.3 MHz
Juan Santamaría International Airport
San José (Alajuela) · MROC
Elevation3021 ft
Coordinates9.99386, -84.208801
Runways
07 / 25
9882 × 151 ft
ASPRadio frequencies
COCO CON119.6 MHz
COCO APP120.5 MHz
CLNC121.3 MHz
GND121.9 MHz
COCO RDO126.8 MHz
COCO TWR118.6 MHz
Quepos Managua Airport
Quepos · MRQP
Elevation85 ft
Coordinates9.44316, -84.129799
Runways
04 / 22
3609 × 36 ft
ASPRadio frequencies
COCO RDO126.8 MHz
La Fortuna Arenal Airport
La Fortuna · MRAN
Elevation342 ft
Coordinates10.469311, -84.579073
Runways
06 / 24
2625 × Unknown width ft
ASPRadio frequencies
Not recorded
Limón International Airport
Limón · MRLM
Elevation7 ft
Coordinates9.95796, -83.022003
Runways
14 / 32
5906 × 98 ft
ASPRadio frequencies
FIS118.8 MHz
COCO RDO126.8 MHz
Nosara Airport
Nicoya · MRNS
Elevation33 ft
Coordinates9.976490020750001, -85.65299987790002
Runways
04 / 24
3281 × 59 ft
ASPRadio frequencies
COCO RDO126.8 MHz
Travel reference only; not for aviation navigation.
Get around with confidence
Getting around San José
Load the available mapped lines. This is a route map, not a live departure board.
Stops along the route
OpenStreetMap contributors · ODbL. Route coverage and stop ordering can be incomplete.
Explore the mapped bus, rail, metro, tram and ferry lines serving San José. Available modes depend on the local network. Check today’s departures and tickets with the operator.
Keep exploring
More ideas for your stay
Browse 9 ideas for San José — from things to see and do to food and places to stay. Check current details before booking or visiting.
Browse things to do, food & stays
National Theatre of Costa Rica
Directions ↗National Theatre of Costa Rica is one option for your time in San José. Open the map pin, check visitor access and decide where it fits in your day.
Museum of Contemporary Art and Design
Directions ↗Museum of Contemporary Art and Design is one option for your time in San José. Check exhibition times before setting aside a museum stop.
La Sabana Metropolitan Park
Directions ↗La Sabana Metropolitan Park is one option for your time in San José. Consider this for a break between the busier parts of your day.
Pre-Columbian Gold Museum
Directions ↗Pre-Columbian Gold Museum is one option for your time in San José. Check exhibition times before setting aside a museum stop.
San José Central Market
Directions ↗San José Central Market is one option for your time in San José. Open the map pin, check visitor access and decide where it fits in your day.
Metropolitan Cathedral of San José
Directions ↗Metropolitan Cathedral of San José is one option for your time in San José. Open the map pin, check visitor access and decide where it fits in your day.
Museo Nacional de Costa Rica
Directions ↗Museo Nacional de Costa Rica is one option for your time in San José. Check exhibition times before setting aside a museum stop.
Museo del Jade
Directions ↗Museo del Jade is one option for your time in San José. Check exhibition times before setting aside a museum stop.
Edificio Herdocia
Directions ↗Edificio Herdocia is one option for your time in San José. Open the map pin, check visitor access and decide where it fits in your day.
Trip notes are written for MyTripTools from place names, categories and mapped details. Use “Find more” above for nearby food and stays. Maps and supplemental place details: OpenStreetMap contributors · ODbL. Check details with the venue.
Your travel toolkit
Travel essentials for Costa Rica
Visa and entry
Use Costa Rica as the passport and Costa Rica as the destination.
Check routeCurrency
Open a pre-filled converter for trip money planning.
FXWeather
Check city weather, climate averages and seasonal conditions.
Monthly
Adapter
Check plug type, voltage and frequency before packing devices.
Plug
Tap water
See country-level tap water guidance for travellers.
Safety
Country codes
Find alpha-2, alpha-3, calling code, currency and capital.
CRRegions